Tuesday, May 4, 2010

The giant African land snail (Achatina achatina), also known as the giant Ghana snail or giant tiger land snail, is the largest snail specie in the world. You would not want to catch one of these slimy creatures in your garden, they reach up to 30 cm in length with their shells measuring up to 18 cm and can produce up to 1200 eggs per year. However, the chances are very slim for one of these slippery fellows to end up in your garden, since they are only native to Ghana.

In Ghana’s tropical forests were they live, they have no natural enemies. These pest consumes about 500 plant species, they also cause damage to the homes of people –the snails are found to eat the paint of the walls of the local people’s homes.

In the Western world they are kept as pets, where people admire them for their large size, distinctive markings and exoticism. Unfortunately, they are also considered a tasty delicacy in many countries.